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Disentangling Perceptions of Subtle Racist Speech

A Cultural Perspective

Stanford University

This investigation assesses E. Hall's 1976 communication context as one explanatory mechanism governing interethnic perceptions of subtle racist speech. Six hundred thirteen participants evaluated the perceived harm of direct and indirect racist slurs made by a White (European American) speaker to a non-White (Asian, African, or Hispanic American) target. A series of 2x2x2 (Message Explicitness: Direct vs. Indirect x Group Membership: In-Group vs. Out-Group x Racial Slurs: Roommate vs. Class Discussion) mixed-effects ANOVAs revealed that lower and higher context communication styles mediated the perception of racist speech harm. Asian Americans were more sensitive to the communication context, evaluating indirect racist speech as the most problematic; whereas European, African, and Hispanic Americans relied more on the actual message, rating direct racist statements most disturbing. Both theoretical and applied implications of the findings are discussed.

Key Words: racist speech • hate speech • prejudice • subtle racism • high- and low-context communication • cultural variation

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